Pick up your guitar and jam at Winchester Community Music School open mic nights

Saturday

Jan 7, 2017 at 3:19 PM

Melissa Russell mrussell@wickedlocal.com @WalthamNewsTrib

No need to travel to Boston for an evening’s entertainment. You can find top notch musicians performing right in Winchester Center. And, best of all, a night's entertainment is all yours for the price of a grande skinny vanilla latte.

For the past decade, on the first Thursday of each month (except July and August) Winchester Music School has hosted an open mic night at Starbucks at 542 Main St. According to coordinator Mike Verge, the idea of a coffee house was a natural one for the school.

“They used to do it at the school, but then decided it would be better suited off campus,” Verge said. “Starbucks got an entertainment license just for us and it’s been a great partnership."

Verge, a local musician and head of the guitar department at the music school, said the Thursday evening event plays host to a list of regulars, with new faces almost every month. They are not necessarily affiliated with the music school, he said, and some travel from as far as New Hampshire to perform.

“Sometimes people are going by, they see what’s going on through those big glass windows, and then decide to take part,” he said. No advance reservation is necessary, and all levels are welcome. Just bring an instrument and sign up for a slot on site, Verge said.

On Jan. 5, the list included 10-year-old Will Schwartzman, a newcomer who dedicated his ukulele performance to his mother, Pat Breen on guitar, and local band Ok Now, featuring MCMS students Abigail Sprague, Dylan Verge and Quinn Connell.

“We’ve been doing it for the past five years,” Sprague said. “It’s so much fun!”

Verge picked up the guitar himself to jam with harmonica player Matt Thenen on the Jonathan Edwards song “Shanty” and Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” The small audience was appreciative.

“Most people stay the entire night,” Verge said.

At the end of the evening, the musicians chatted with each other and the audience as they packed up their gear. Verge was heading out to his regular Thursday gig with the band Torn and Frayed at the Burren in Somerville.

As he put away his guitar he said, “What I would want to get across is this is for anyone who wants to get up and play. Don’t be intimidated. This is how you get experience playing in front of people and hone your act, in a warm, supportive environment. In the beginning, people are nervous but then they’re bitten by the bug and they can’t wait to get back.”

He added, “This is what you need to get your feet wet with live experience. You can’t get it playing in front of a YouTube camera.”